Teddy Purcell

Teddy Purcell
Purcell in February 2015.
Born	(1985-09-08) September 8, 1985 St. John's, NL, CAN
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightning
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2007–present

Edward Purcell (born September 8, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Undrafted, Purcell has also played in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Playing career

Amateur

Purcell moved to the United States to study at and play hockey for Lake Forest Academy, a prep school north of Chicago, Illinois.^[1] He then played junior hockey for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he set the career scoring mark, scoring 138 points on 39 goals and 99 assists in two seasons with the RoughRiders. He was the team leader in scoring his first season with the RoughRiders, tallying 67 points. In his second season, he was outscored by teammate Chad Costello by one point, scoring 71 points. Undrafted by an NHL team in his first year of draft eligibility, Purcell then played one season of college hockey at the University of Maine with the Black Bears ice hockey team in 2006–07.

Professional

Purcell as a member of the Lightning.

In 2007–08, his first professional season, Purcell played most of the year in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Manchester Monarchs, but also spent 10 games up in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings. On February 15, 2008, Purcell scored his first NHL goal against the Calgary Flames' Miikka Kiprusoff at Staples Center in Los Angeles. In the AHL, he was named to the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic and became the first rookie to score an All-Star Classic hat-trick. He also scored the decisive goal in the shootout to give the Canadian All Stars a 9–8 win over the PlanetUSA All-Stars. Purcell was named the game's MVP.^[2] Finishing his rookie AHL season with 83 points in 67 games, Purcell won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL's top rookie. In 2008–09, Purcell split the season between the Monarchs and Kings, playing 40 games in the NHL while scoring four goals and 12 assists for a total of 16 points.

At the NHL trade deadline in 2010, Purcell was traded, along with a third-round draft pick, to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Jeff Halpern. Purcell finished the 2009–10 season with 15 points. On July 6, 2010, new Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman re-signed Purcell, along with another former University of Maine player, Mike Lundin, to a one-year contract. Purcell then blossomed under new Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher. On February 23, 2011, Purcell scored his first NHL hat-trick, coming against the Phoenix Coyotes. He went on to finish with 51 points in the regular season, and 17 points in 18 games during the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.

On July 20, 2011, Purcell avoided arbitration by signing a two-year, $4.75 million contract extension with Tampa Bay Lightning just hours before his arbitration meeting.^[3] On April 7, 2012, in the Lightning's last game of the 2011–12 regular season, Purcell recorded his second career NHL hat-trick, helping Tampa Bay win 4–3 in overtime. After a breakout season in which he scored 24 goals and 65 points, Purcell was named to Team Canada playing in the 2012 IIHF World Championship.

On July 10, 2012, Purcell signed a three-year contract extension with the Lightning to keep him with the club through to the 2015–16 season.^[4]

On June 29, 2014, Purcell was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Sam Gagner, who was himself immediately shipped to the Arizona Coyotes.^[5]

Career statistics

Purcell with the Manchester Monarchs in 2009.

Awards and honors

References

External links

• Teddy Purcell's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database